Sihwan Kim focused on form more than finishes
Sihwan Kim is leaving no room for complacency following his breakthrough win in the professional game at the International Series Thailand just over a month ago, which installed him as the Asian Tour’s current number one player.
The American is competing in this week’s US$750,000 Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup on the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club in Pattaya – an event jointly sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour (LET), which marks the first time the Asian Tour has staged a mixed event – and is looking to build on the momentum of his recent success.
“It feels good [to be number one] but I need to try and continue playing well, trying to do more work,” said the 33-year-old.
“I just took a lot of confidence from the win. Winning is good but I just need to keep on playing as well as I have been, it will be great to win more and finish number one on the Asian Tour Order of Merit but that comes in later in the year.”
Kim’s victory was the culmination of a fine run of form on the Asian Tour which saw him play in the final pairing on Sunday on three occassions. He failed to secure top spot in those events – he was joint second in the Royal’s Cup, joint fourth in the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship, and fourth in the SMBC Singapore Open – but it proved to be an important learning experience.
“I think it was all the tournaments leading up to it that helped me win in the end. I had been close in Phuket and Singapore and getting more comfortable playing in the last group or second to last group,” he said.
HUA HIN-THAILAND- Sihwan Kim of the USA pictured with the winner’s trophy on Thursday March 6, 2022 after the final round of The International Series Thailand at Black Mountain Golf Club, Prachaubkhirikhan, Thailand. The US$ 1.5 million Asian Tour event is staged between March 3 – 6, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“There was a huge sense of relieve. I had been close so many times before winning finally, and it was more of a relieve getting that monkey off my back rather than happiness that was my first emotion.”
He played the Qatar Masters before taking last week off and heads a strong line-up this week in a tournament featuring 60 Asian Tour players and 60 LET players, along with 24 sponsor invitations, playing for the same prize fund and trophy. The only difference is the women are playing off forward tees.
Added Kim: “I just plan to keep it in the fairway and stay hydrated. I don’t know how long this cool Pattaya weather will last but in Southeast Asian countries just keeping hydrated and getting some fuel and nutrition into you is very important.”
Competitors will stay on for the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge next week at the same venue. The event will also boast a purse of US$750,000 and be jointly sanctioned by the two Tours.
Each tournament will offer Official World Golf Ranking points, and count towards the Asian Tour Order of Merit and LET’s Race to the Costa del Sol.
The Asian Development Tour (ADT) and MENA Tour will break new ground in May, when they jointly-sanction four events in Phuket – which will be called the “Beautiful Thailand Swing”.
Four three-day events will take place over a span of three weeks at Laguna Golf Phuket and Blue Canyon Country Club, signifying the start of an emerging new relationship between the ADT and MENA Tours.
The ADT restarted last week with the Gurugram Challenge in India, where victory went to American Dodge Kemmer, following a two-year break caused by the pandemic.
“This marks another significant moment in our return,” said Cho Minn Thant, CEO & Commissioner, Asian Tour.
“The Asian Development Tour is an important part of our architecture and while it was encouraging to see it restart in India last week it is really exciting for it now to be building momentum and heading to Phuket for four events with our friends from the MENA Tour.”
Last year the Asian Tour entered a strategic partnership with the MENA Tour which will help facilitate the formation of one of the most comprehensive and innovative development tours in the modern game.
The “Beautiful Thailand Swing” represents the start of this process.
“We are truly excited to return to action next month. It’s been a long wait, but I am glad the hard work has paid off. Our members will have much to play for as the ‘Beautiful Thailand Swing’ will conclude our 2020+ season and the winner for the 2020+ ‘Journey to Jordan’ will be crowned,” said David Spencer, Commissioner, MENA Tour.
For the “Beautiful Swing Thailand” there will be a two-day gap between each event and players from both Tours will compete for a prize purse of US$75,000 in each tournament. The standard 36-hole cut of 50 professionals and ties applies.
PHUKET-THAILAND- A general view of Hole No 11 on Friday December 3, 2021 during round two of the Asian Tour’s Laguna Phuket Championship 2021 at Laguna Golf Phuket, with a prize fund of US$ 1 Million. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The four-event swing will kick off at Laguna Golf Phuket with the Laguna Phuket Challenge starting on May 3, followed by the Laguna Phuket Cup which commences on May 8.
Players will then proceed to play the Blue Canyon Classic which will be held at the Lakes course of the Blue Canyon Country Club from May 13. The swing then concludes with the Blue Canyon Open which will be played at the Canyon course from May 18.
Blue Canyon Country Club and Laguna Golf Phuket successfully hosted the Asian Tour Phuket Series, which marked the Asian Tour’s return to action last November. Laguna Golf Phuket is also an Asian Tour Destination which has hosted multiple ADT events in the past.
The top 10 available professional players from the final 2020+ ‘Journey to Jordan’ will be invited to play in the next two ADT events following the Thailand swing. The winner of the 2020+ ‘Journey to Jordan’ will also receive an invitation to play in one of the upcoming Asian Tour ‘International Series’ tournaments in 2022.
The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the Asian Tour in 2023.
The Boonchu Ruangkit Championship, won by Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert in January 2020, will be counted as the opening event of the ADT new season.
Ends.
The International Series today announced a new date and venue for International Series England which will now be staged at Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort – one of the great golfing venues in the North of England. The US$2 million tournament, the ninth event on the Asian Tour schedule and the second International Series event, will be played at the famous venue from June 2-5, paving the way for the Asian Tour to break new ground and sanction an event in the UK for the first time.
The International Series England was originally slated to be played at the Centurion Club during the second week of June, but it was moved one week earlier to accommodate the LIV Golf Invitational at Centurion. Importantly, the re-scheduling will give competitors the chance to qualify for what will most likely be the most lucrative event of their careers. The exemptions will be:
- The top-three players from the cumulative International Series rankings, through Thailand and England, will gain starts at the LIV Golf Invitational.
- The top-two finishers in the International Series England not otherwise exempt will also play their way into the mega event.
- The top player on the Asian Tour Order of Merit at the time, along with the top two players from the 2020-21 final Order of Merit will also gain berths.
“This is a giant step forward for the Asian Tour and we are fortunate that the organisers have been able to accommodate the change in plans. The new date allows us to provide even greater rewards for the competitors. They are not only playing for the Asian Tour Order of Merit, but they will now also able to play their way into a series of ultra-lucrative events throughout the year,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.
“The Asian Tour is currently enjoying a remarkable period of growth and as a consequence we are able to give our members the opportunity to travel and play in new parts of the world. And, of course, to be able to visit an area which such great golfing heritage is of special significance and meaning.”
The ninth hole at the hunting course of Slaley Hall. Photo credit: Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort
Slaley Hall is located in the Northumberland countryside and is a short drive away from Newcastle. Often described at the “Augusta of the North” the club boasts two courses: The Hunting and The Priestman. The venue hosted a European Tour event, The Great North Open, from 1996 to 2002 with Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie and Retief Goosen all enjoying a victory there.
“Having the opportunity to be part of this innovative event is exceptionally exciting for The QHotels Collection,” said Keith Pickard, Golf, Health Club and Spa Director for The QHotels Collection. “We have a wealth of experience in hosting tournaments and are delighted that Slaley Hall has been chosen as the official host venue. We have been very privileged to host some of the world’s top stars over the years and we are looking forward to welcoming the new generation of golf talent to Slaley Hall.”
American Sihwan Kim claimed victory in the International Series Thailand at Black Mountain Golf Club and currently leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit heading into next week’s Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup – one of two back-to-back events being jointly-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour. The Asian Tour will also be making stops in Korea and Japan prior to heading to England. The second half of the year will see stops in Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia before heading to the Middle East and then culminating in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
The International Series – new top-tier tournaments integrated with the Asian Tour schedule – was launched this year and will see 10 events played each year for the next decade.
“We are already breaking boundaries with The International Series as we make our second stop of the season in the UK – a first for the Asian Tour. It was our mission from the outset to grow the game globally, and I am proud to deliver on our promise,” said Greg Norman. “The opportunity and pathways that this presents for players on the Asian Tour – both from a financial and playing perspective – cannot be understated. I will be anxiously following along to see who will get the life changing invite into the LIV Golf event the following week.”
In October last year, Norman was announced as CEO of LIV Golf Investments – a newly formed company whose purpose is to holistically improve the health of professional golf on a truly global scale to help unlock the sports’ untapped worldwide potential. LIV Golf Investments provided US$300 million in seed money to the Asian Tour to launch The International Series. PIF, one of the world’s largest and most impactful sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in LIV Golf Investments.
Additional dates and locations for 2022-2023 International Series events to be announced soon.
As Panuphol Pittayarat explains in his entry for his March diary he has only just started playing again as he battles a shoulder injury. “Coconut”, as best we know him, has had cryotherapy, physiotherapy and dry needle treatment plus more to try and get back on Tour, and while he is still not 100% he does plan to compete in next week’s Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in Pattaya.
March
Since my diary last month, I was hoping to be able to play the International Series Thailand at Black Mountain, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to because of my [shoulder] injury. I took a long break and decided to rest instead.
I was basically out of action from the Monday of Royal’s Cup week until just four or five days ago. At the moment I still have some pain after I hit balls, but I think it’s getting better because I know how to treat it now.
I went to do a lot of stuff to try to fix it during the time off. Physiotherapy of course, but also cryotherapy at the place where Jacob Fleck, who caddies for Joohyung Kim, used to work. Cryotherapy is an ice-cold chamber; you go in there and it’s minus 140C degrees and you stay in there for three minutes. I went to do some dry needles treatment too.
I actually also went to Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok and got injected with some medicine. I’m not sure what they put in me, so I don’t want to guess what it was called. It was some pain relief medicine I think, but it hasn’t really helped me that much. I probably went to see four or five doctors during this whole time off.
Now I am doing better, and I have just started practicing again for the last four or five days. At the moment, it’s kind of a bit tight again. They call what I have a bulging disc, it’s kind of slipped out a bit. Maybe the same thing that Tiger Woods had years ago. It’s in the C4, C5 and C6 vertebrae which is where it goes into my neck, shoulder and shoulder blades.
Next week I am going to play the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in Pattaya. No matter what, I will be there. I’m just going to go see what I can do with what I have at the moment. I’m confident that I’m going to be playing, but I’m not very confident with my A-swing, my A-game because it’s still a little bit in there, the pain, but I’m going to try to get some medicine for pain relief and then go with it.
I’m probably not going to be swinging my strongest swing, but I’ll give it a go. I need to play golf again, I’m sick of staying at home. I could go at full speed if I want, but if I do there’s going to be pain. I could probably hit it 70% right now, and it’s not going to be a lot of turning or a lot of bending. It’s probably going to be like an old man’s swing. Yeah, I might be doing an old man’s swing haha.
During the time off I watched the International Series Thailand on TV, I watched Phachara Khongwatmai a lot during that whole week. Last week I caught the highlights from The DGC Open, Delhi Golf Club looked tough! It was good to see Nitithorn Thippong get his first Asian Tour win, he’s been working hard on his game and practicing a lot, so it was very well deserved. He got his chance to win, and he took it. Delhi Golf Club is not really a power game course, but you have to be very precise. It’s also the same course Kiradech Aphibarnrat got his first Asian Tour win on back in 2011, so maybe it’s a good sign for him.
I haven’t been able to do any cycling lately, but I’ve been doing a lot of walking, a lot of it! Because I haven’t done it for a while, it would be hard to walk 18 holes for, you know, four or five days in a row next week. I learned this lesson from quarantining in Japan last year. I stayed in the room for two weeks, and when I went out to play again, I could barely walk. I never knew that golf was hard to walk until I stopped walking.
During the time off I’ve been very careful about COVID. I haven’t had lunch or any meals with friends; I haven’t played golf with anyone else; haven’t sat around with a lot of people. A lot of people around me got COVID but they all recovered and are fine again now.
That’s it for now, wish me luck in Pattaya!
Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Joohyung Kim from Korea and current number one Sihwan Kim from the United States and past Merit list winners from the Ladies European Tour (LET) South African Lee-Anne Pace and Becky Brewerton from Wales are just some of the leading players who will make up the elite field for next week’s Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup.
The ground-breaking tournament – which marks the first time the two Tours have jointly sanctioned an event – will take place on the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club from April 7-10 and will be followed the week after by the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge, at the same venue.
Both events will feature 60 Asian Tour players and 60 LET players, along with 24 sponsor invitations, playing for the same prize fund and trophy. Each tournament will offer a prize fund of US$750,000, along with Official World Golf Ranking points, and they will count towards the Asian Tour Order of Merit and LET’s Race to the Costa del Sol.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, winner of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard last week on the Asian Tour, will also compete along with many of his distinguished compatriots including Jazz Janewattananond, Phachara Khongwatmai, Sadom Kaewkanjana and Pavit Tangkamolprasert.
Lee-Anne Pace of Republic of South Africa (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Australian Scott Hend, winner of 10 titles on the Asian Tour, and nine-time champion Gaganjeet Bhullar from India have also entered along with American John Catlin and Shiv Kapur from India, who have both won on four occasions.
Thailand’s golf phenom Ratchanon Chantananuwat, popularly known as “TK”, has also been invited to compete. The 15-year-old amateur star has not missed the cut in the six events he has played in since the Asian Tour restarted at the end of last year and finished third in The Singapore International.
There will be 14 LET winners and two Race to Costa del Sol champions in the field of 60 female competitors.
Pace and Brewerton will be joined by fellow Tour veterans Marianne Skarpnord of Norway, Lydia Hall of Wales, Kylie Henry from Scotland, Sweden’s Jenny Haglund and English pair Felicity Johnson and Florentyna Parker.
Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson, ranked fourth on the current Race to Costa del after two top-10 finishes in her first three events of the season, including a tie for second in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, will also compete as well as sixth ranked Kim Metraux of Switzerland, eighth ranked Nicole Garcia of South Africa and LET winners Alice Hewson and Maria Hernandez of Spain, who are tied for 10th respectively.
Rising star Maja Stark from Sweden, who started last year as an amateur but ended the year with three professional wins – two of which were on the LET – will be making her season debut in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup. After turning professional last summer, the 23-year-old won on her home course to secure her maiden title on the LET Access Series and then won the Creekhouse Ladies Open and the Estrella Damm Ladies Open on the LET. The former PING Junior Solheim Cup player finished sixth on the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol Rankings despite having played in just six events as a member.
Other leading players in the field include Sanna Nuutinen of Finland, who finished fourth on Tour last year after nine top-10 finishes, former winner Diksha Dagar of India and two-time LET champion Meghan MacLaren from England, making her LET season debut.
The Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge will be held the following week, from April 13-16, and will feature a very similar line-up of players.
The Asian Development Tour (ADT), the Asian Tour’s feeder circuit, makes its long awaited and popular return this week, after a two-year break caused by the pandemic, at the inaugural Gurugram Challenge in India.
The US$75,000 ADT tournament tees off tomorrow at the Classic Golf & Country Club in Nuh, Haryana, close to the national capital New Delhi, and will be jointly sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
Prominent names participating include Asian Tour winners Rashid Khan and Khalin Joshi from India and Indonesian Rory Hie – who won the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship on the Asian Tour at Classic Golf & Country Club in 2019.
Joshi also has good memories of playing at Classic Golf & Country Club as he won a PGTI event at the venue in 2016.
Khalin said: “It’s good to be back at Classic where I have won in the past. The course is in great condition with the fairways and greens being immaculate. There is no rough so putting would hold the key this week.
“After I won on the PGTI last October, I fell ill and missed an event. So, the swing has not felt the same since then and I’ve not been at the top of my game. But I’m feeling good heading into this week. I know it’s just about shooting one low score and the confidence will be back.”
NAKHON RACHASIMA-THAILAND – Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand pictured on Sunday January 26, 2020, with the winner’s trophy during the final round of the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship at the Rancho Charnvee Resort & Country Club, Nakhon Rachasima, Thailand. The approximate USD$ 130.000 event is the 1st event on the 2020 Asian Development Tour. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Development Tour.
The last time an ADT event was played was the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship in January of 2020, when Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert triumphed.
“One of the Asian Tour’s greatest achievements over the past decade has been the successful implementation of the Asian Development Tour,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.
“Launched in 2010, our incredibly popular secondary Tour has been a conveyor belt of stars of the future – such as current Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Korean Joohyung Kim and four-time Asian Tour winner John Catlin from the United States – and so I am truly delighted that the Asian Development Tour will restart this week after a two-year hiatus.
“The Gurugram Challenge, in collaboration with our friends at the Professional Golf Tour of India and the Classic Golf & Country Club, commences a season when we are expecting to stage 10-12 tournaments as we rebuild and look to get back to a full schedule next year.”
Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, added: “We are delighted to jointly sanction the inaugural Gurugram Challenge along with the Asian Development Tour. The tournament is yet another initiative to provide international exposure to Indian professionals. We thank the Classic Golf & Country Club for partnering with us in staging the event. We look forward to the event emerging as a regular feature on the PGTI schedule in the coming years.”
Classic Golf & Country Club is also a member of Asian Tour Destinations – an exclusive network of world-class golfing venues with direct ties to the Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong defeated Ajeetesh Sandhu from India on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off to claim The DGC Open presented by Mastercard today after a compelling finish to the inaugural event on the iconic Lodhi course at Delhi Golf Club (DGC).
Nitithorn made a brilliant birdie four on the par-five 18th to win his first event on the Asian Tour after Sandhu holed out for par – in what was the fourth event on the 2022 schedule.
The duo had finished tied for 72 holes on seven under after Nitithorn, the overnight leader by two from Sandhu, closed with a one-over-par 73 and Sandhu 71.
Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech ended one shot short of the play-off after returning 71 to finish outright third for his best Asian Tour result, while Gaganjeet Bhullar from India carded 72, to claim solo fourth, two strokes further back.
Nitithorn lived up to his nickname “Fever” by raising the temperature of his game on the famous 18th at DGC. Tied with playing-partner Sandhu on the last in normal time, he holed a 10 footer for birdie which forced his Indian opponent to make his four from five feet to send the tournament into overtime.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand celebrates on the 18th green during round four of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Sunday March 27, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The 25-year-old Thai golfer then reached the green with two fine shots in the play-off leaving himself a 15-foot eagle putt while Sandhu found the putting surface in three having landed in trouble off the tee. After Sandhu missed his birdie attempt from 18 feet, Nitithorn triumphantly two putted to earn a cheque for US$90,000.
“I can’t describe my feeling right now. To win on the Asian Tour I have been waiting for this for a long time,” said Nitithorn, a professional since 2015 whose biggest win to date had been the 2018 PGM Penang Championship on the Asian Development Tour in 2018.
“I cannot describe my feelings, it is incredible, it’s amazing. I didn’t putt so good today. I just tried to hit it on the green and make the putts, but I couldn’t make them.
“On the 14th, where I made bogey, I was so nervous there, but I did not lose my mind. I just focused on everything that I can, and just play. In the play off I wasn’t as nervous as in normal time. I felt more free and so comfortable.”
The tournament developed into a classic two-horse race with Nitithorn appearing to be on course for victory after staying two ahead after nine before he made bogey on 10, 14 and 16.
Birdies on 13 and 14 meant Sandhu was two ahead with two to go but to the shock of the strong local support the Indian golfer pushed his tee shot right on the par-three 17th, lost his ball, and ended up making a double bogey while Nitithorn made par to draw level and set up the dramatic finish on 18.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Ajeetesh Sandhu of India pictured during round four of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Sunday March 27, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Said Sandhu: “It was a good week. Looking back, I’ll definitely take a lot from it. It was disappointing how it finished but that’s golf. You always have to keep coming back from disasters. No regrets because while competing you’re always trying your best.
“In hindsight, I would say on the 17th I tried to hit a shot which was not a high percentage one. I tried to move it with the wind to go into the flag but just didn’t make a good swing.”
Justin Quiban from the Philippines produced his joint best finish on the Asian Tour when he was fifth on three under after shooting a 70.
India’s Shiv Kapur, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour, carded a 68 and was in a group of players who finished a stroke further back in joint sixth.
The next event on the Asian Tour is the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup at Siam Country Club in Thailand from April 7-10.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Settee Prakongvech of Thailand pictured during round four of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Sunday March 27, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong returned a two-under-par 70 to take a two-shot lead after the third round of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard today, moving into unchartered territory holding the lead in an Asian Tour event for the first time in his fledgling career.
The 25 year old, three behind overnight leader Veer Ahlawat from India at the start of the day, carded four birdies and two bogeys at Delhi Golf Club, and leads on eight under.
India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu is in second place after shooting 73, while Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech carded 70 and is a stroke further back – in the fourth event of the season on the Asian Tour.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, a nine-time winner on the Asian Tour (which is the most by an Indian golfer), came in with a 73 and is four behind the leader in solo possession of fourth.
Ahlawat carded a disappointing 78 but is still only five off the lead.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Left to right – Ajeetesh Sandhu of India passes a tee to playing partner Veer Ahlawat of India pictured during round three of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Saturday March 26, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Last month Nitithorn finished tied fourth in the Royal’s Cup on home soil for his best finish on the Asian Tour and is now on the threshold of vastly improving upon that tomorrow.
“Today, I could 100% focus on my game and process so that’s why the result was really good,” said the Thai golfer, who turned professional in 2015 and claimed the PGM Penang Championship on the Asian Development Tour three years later.
“I just focus on my process, just play, and have fun. I didn’t hit many greens today, but I made a lot of great up and downs, I think I made almost all my up and downs.”
He also admitted to having a craving for Delhi Golf Club’s chocolate milkshakes and said he downed three cups before today’s round.
Sandhu, who has won once before on the Asian Tour at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in 2017, looked to be out of the running for much of day but made an eagle on the par-five 14th, where he hit a five iron to 15 feet, to rekindle his chances and also place him in the final pairing on Sunday.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Gaganjeet Bhullar of India pictured during round three of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Saturday March 26, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Said Sandhu: “A difficult day. The wind was off, the course was firm. It was a very good test out there today. Need to do some practice to get ready for tomorrow and hopefully it is a better day tomorrow.
“I hung in there today, didn’t really have my best day. Off the tee, with the irons, and with the putter, everything was kind of average. But I’m glad I’m still up there and I’ll have a shot to win tomorrow, so that means a lot.”
This is the inaugural The DGC Open presented by Mastercard, which offers a total purse of US$500,000, and is the first Asian Tour event to be played in India since the 2019 Panasonic Open India.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Settee Prakongvech of Thailand pictured during round three of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Saturday March 26, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
India’s Veer Ahlawat has a two-shot lead at the midway point of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard, over compatriot Ajeetesh Sandhu.
Ahlawat added a five-under-par 67 to his opening 68 at Delhi Golf Club (DGC) to move to nine under, while Sandhu shot a 68 in a tournament that is the first Asian Tour event played in India since the end of 2019.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong is a stroke further back after returning a 70, while Gaganjeet Bhullar from India (66) and Thailand’s Chanat Sakulpolphaisan (67) and Kasidit Lepkurte (68) are another shot behind.
First-round leaders Travis Smyth from Australia and Indian Shankar Das slipped back after shooting 73 and 74, to lie four and three under respectively.
Ahlawat’s round was both brilliant and composed: he started on the back nine and made the turn in five under with four birdies in a row from 12 and another on 17 before nine pars on his second nine.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Ajeetesh Sandhu of India pictured during round two of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Friday March 25, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“My swing is feeling pretty good, so I was pretty confident that if I keep hitting it in the fairway, I’m going to hit good second shots so that was my plan for today,” said the 26 year old.
“Just keep it in play – you don’t have to hit it long off the tee, just keep it in play. The wind was much less today morning than yesterday afternoon. On the back nine, it did start blowing a little bit, but it wasn’t that much.
“I think my iron shots were on point today. I hit them pretty close, and I did hole putts, so my putting is also rolling pretty good.”
A professional since 2016 he has won once before on the Professional Golf Tour of India and impressed earlier this year in the SMBC Singapore Open, where he tied for fifth.
Sandhu is in search of his second win on the Asian Tour, having claimed the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in 2017.
And he put himself in position to do that over the weekend with a bogey free round highlighted by four birdies.
Nitihorn appears to have lost none of the fine form that saw him produce his best-ever result on the Asian Tour last month when he finished joint fourth in the Royal’s Cup on home soil.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand hits out of the jungle on the 10th hole during round two of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Friday March 25, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He also heaped praised on the design changes made to the course by South African Gary Player here in 2019.
He said: “It’s my second time at DGC, first time was in 2015. Now, I feel the tee shot is easier because earlier you could easily hit the bushes, but right now the rough is there so it is easier to stay. Yeah, I mean I like the new greens, they are awesome. I like the many slopes, sometimes a bit difficult to read, but the green condition was really good.”
Bhullar, the most successful Indian on the Asian Tour with nine victories, shot the joint lowest round of the week so far helped by five birdies on the trot from hole 13.
He said: “I think this is my best round at DGC as a professional. I’ve shot six-under as a junior, an amateur, but I’ve never shot six-under as a pro. I’ve shot five under quite a few times. So, I think overall I played really well.”
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Gaganjeet Bhullar of India pictured during round two of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Friday March 25, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The DGC Open presented by Mastercard is the fourth event on this year’s Asian Tour schedule and the first Asian Tour event played in India since the 2019 Panasonic Open India.
It’s the first time the US$500,000 event has been played.
That some golf courses suit certain players better than others is no secret, and the iconic Lodhi Course at Delhi Golf Club – venue for this week’s The DGC Open presented by Mastercard – is well known for being the type of layout that fits some players like a glove and takes others out of the equation, writes Olle Nordberg, Contributing Editor, Asian Tour.
The tree and bush lined holes have always demanded precision off the tee, so it is not a course that has offered much advantage to the Asian Tour’s power players in the past.
The same applies now even after the course’s re-design by nine-time Major winner Gary Player from South Africa, which also saw significant changes to the structure of the green complexes.
Instead, it has been a course where a handful of players have had a lot of success during the last decade, collecting eight wins at the course whether the event has been the Hero Indian Open, Panasonic Open India, or SAIL-SBI Open.
Since the start of 2012 the Asian Tour has visited Delhi Golf Club no less than 13 times, and during this time no one has collected more wins than India’s number one player Anirban Lahiri.
The Indian ace triumphed on three occasions on the Lodhi course during these years – amazingly all victories coming in play-offs. He also had two tied-second place finishes, and in his eight starts at Delhi Golf Club during this time he only finished outside of the top-10 once.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – A peacock wanders around the 18th green during round one of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday March 24, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Two-time Hero Indian Open champion S. S. P. Chawrasia collected one of those two trophies at Delhi Golf Club in 2016, beating Lahiri and Korea’s Jeunghun Wang by two strokes. The Indian also won the Panasonic Open India at the course in 2014, coming out victorious against Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera in a playoff. He was also second and tied-second in the 2015 and 2013 Hero Indian Opens respectively.
In terms of consistency, the best performer at the famous venue has been Bangladesh’s leading player Siddikur Rahman.
Astonishingly, in his 11 events played at Delhi Golf Club since 2012 he has a finished in the top 10 91% of the time, and in the top five 73%. He won the Hero Indian Open in 2013 there when he overcame Lahiri by a single stroke.
Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan has also been a player to fear at this course, having won the 2014 SAIL-SBI Open in a playoff against Rahman. New Delhi native Khan also posted a second-place finish at the same event in 2013, having lost in a playoff against Lahiri, and was joint runner-up in the 2016 Panasonic Open India when Mukesh Kumar won by one stroke in the 54-hole shortened event.
Another player that should be mentioned in this context is India’s Shiv Kapur, the winner of the 2017 Panasonic Open India, when he beat no less than seven other players by three strokes at Delhi Golf Club, which is his home club, and where he grew up playing the game.
The four-time Asian Tour winner also had a couple more top-five finishes at the Lodhi course in 2013, when he finished fourth at the Panasonic Open India and the SAIL-SBI Open.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – The clubhouse DGC plaque at The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Kapur should always be considered a dangerous player around his home track; he is due more success on a course that means so much to him although with a fine crop of young Indian players emerging there is a strong chance that one of those players will take a liking to the course like Lahiri, SSP, Rahman or Khan.
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